When it comes to safe sex, there are always more or less confused opinions floating around in people’s heads. But you shouldn’t believe everything others tell you, because a lot of it is half-knowledge or just pure scaremongering. This article shows which safer sex misconceptions you should not believe.
Condoms protect against all STIs (sexually transmitted infections)
An important topic first. It is of course true that using condoms during sex prevents pregnancy. But only if you use the little elastic helpers correctly. In principle, condoms are always wise during sex. But you should also be aware that a condom is not able to protect you 100 per cent from sexually transmitted diseases.
One reason for this is that the pathogens that cause many sexually transmitted infections. Such as herpes, gonorrhoea, genital warts or syphilis, in places where it is not possible to wear a condom. To become infected with these diseases, you only need skin contact with an infected person.
While condoms can prevent 95 per cent of infections with sexually transmitted diseases. This means that there is always a residual risk of five per cent. In addition, sexually transmitted diseases can of course also be transmitted during oral or anal sex.
It’s okay to use a condom twice
The idea of washing and drying a condom after use and then using it again the next time you have sex is a bad idea. Condoms are designed to be disposable. Which means they only protect once, and their material is already significantly damaged by friction. If you really want to be on the safe side, you should dispose of used one and use a fresh condom for your next sexual adventure. As this is the most effective protection for everyone involved.
Extracting the penis before ejaculation protects against infection with STIs
If your penis is absolutely tight until the moment of ejaculation during orgasm, you can protect your partner as an HIV-infected person by pulling it out in time during unprotected anal sex. However, your penis secretes seminal fluid (called pre-juice) before it actually gets hard. This can also contain HI viruses, which can lead to infection.
The HIV risk for the active partner during anal sex is low
This is clearly wrong, even the active partner can be infected with HIV. The reason for this is that the intestinal mucosa of HIV-infected persons carries a large number of HIV, which get onto the penis of the active partner during unprotected anal intercourse. Contrary to opinions to the contrary, even the briefest penetration can lead to HIV infection. Although the risk is lower in the case of a quickie, it remains in principle.
HIV can be transmitted through all body fluids
This is also still a widespread misconception. There are exactly four types of Body fluids that are capable of transmitting HIV. Namely, semen, vaginal secretions, blood and breast milk. Other body fluids, such as saliva, urine or tears, cannot cause infection. So you can kiss your sexual partner with passion and tongue, enjoy their golden shower on and even inside you, or wipe away their tears of joy without fear of HIV infection.
You can look at someone’s HIV or other sexually transmitted infections
Perpetually, people claim that they can look at other people if they are infected with HIV or suffer from another sexually transmitted disease. While it is true that you can have visible symptoms that can be linked to sexually transmitted diseases, this is rare. As a rule, only a test can really bring certainty. To put it bluntly, you can’t tell anyone has HIV.
HIV only affects gay men
These Safer sex misconceptions of the “gay disease” is unfortunately still haunting some countries, despite extensive educational work. It is of course not true that only gay men can be infected with HIV. In principle, anyone who is sexually active can become infected with HIV. Or a sexually transmitted infection, regardless of their sexual orientation.
One of the reasons for this is the curiosity of many heterosexual men who would like to have a homoerotic experience and unknowingly become infected with STIs or even HIV. This is how the virus enters the heterosexual world. In addition, especially in its early days, HIV was also transmitted through blood transfusions. A route that is now blocked to the virus thanks to the most modern testing techniques.
Douching helps prevent STI infections
Many men believe that douching with an anal douche after sex helps prevent STI infections. However, the opposite is true. Because when you douche, for example after anal intercourse, you spread the semen further into your intestinal tract and may even support the infection. For women and men alike, the bowel and vagina are self-cleaning organs that are best left alone after sex.
After all, there is no effective way of cleaning these areas to prevent the transmission of HIV or other STIs afterwards. After extensive anal sex, you should especially clean the external genitalia of lubricating gel, semen and possibly faeces.
There is no risk of contracting HIV from a young sex partner
Whoever thinks this is the case is mistaken. Why shouldn’t young men, for example with a good friend or with schoolmates, have already had unprotected sex? No one can guarantee that an HIV infection has not already occurred. You should always ask yourself why a young sex partner should not have had unprotected anal sex with you before the date.
You cannot contract HIV from a country sex partner
It is quite astonishing what Safer sex misconceptions some people fall for. If someone lives in a rural area, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had unprotected anal sex on trips to the city, for example in a men’s sauna. Maybe he ordered a callboy into his house or had unprotected anal sex with the handsome farmer boy from the neighbourhood. Living in the countryside does not mean living behind the moon. Why shouldn’t there be HIV in a village or a small town?
An HIV-positive person always tells his sex partner that he is infected
No statement is further from reality than this. Unfortunately, HIV is still associated with great prejudice, which means that those affected do not necessarily come out immediately. In some cases, the HIV-positive person may think that his or her sex partner is only going without a condom because he or she already has HIV. So you should never assume that an infected person will tell you that they are HIV-positive before having sex. The best way to protect yourself is to be open about it and find ways to enjoy sex together.
Safer sex misconceptions: Only unprotected sex with HIV-negative people protects against HIV
This is basically correct. However, when you have a one-night stand with a stranger, you never know for sure whether the sex partner is actually HIV-negative. Maybe he unknowingly had a risky contact and doesn’t even know that he has become infected with HIV. In addition, there are sometimes men who deliberately do not disclose their HIV infection or even offer to infect their sex partners on purpose.
|